It is a sad fucking day in music history when a Beatles song is completely carried by the lead singers of Green Day and Aerosmith while everyone else is woefully off-key, stomping all over the tempo and/or flat.

Billie Joe, despite the fact that I despise you and your simpy-ass pseudopunk (three chords and a sneer do not great punk make, my friend!) music*, you did a great, GREAT job on ‘Across The Universe’.

(Ditto for Mister Tyler, but that was a given, as out of all the hundreds of shows I’ve seen, he helps his band put on one of the top three.)

The rest of you sapsuckers? You want to do something charitable for someone, then lip sync, please.

As they closed the goofiness by changing the last line to ‘Something’s gotta (gonna?) change my world’, Maxim summed it up nicely.

tried posting this to Rick Bedford’s blog site, but was unsuccessful. If you could pass it along to Rick’s dad and bro, and around the group of Rick’s friend’s, I would appreciate it.

I feel somewhat of an intruder. I didn’t know Rick. All I know is the respect that he had for the leather work of a long-departed relative of mine. The sentiment Rick expressed upon receipt of his Meanea saddle caused a swelling of pride within my soul for my family heritage. All I can say is that there was a reason for me to have come across his blog many months after it posted. I was moved to respond to his blog, not knowing that our Father above was getting ready to take Rick back home within a couple of days of my posting. I’d like to think that Rick has been able to meet Frank Meanea, the maker of his saddle, and tell him that Frank has a relative here in mortality that loves him and takes great pride in the Meanea family history. Rick’s passing brought into stark reality the need to take advantage of every opportunity to express our love and appreciation for everyone who touches our lives, regardless of whether it is a stranger in cyberspace or a friend or brother we see everyday. If it is obvious to me, a stranger, the love that you all had for Rick, then it is assured that he felt and knew of your love, also. Once again, I’m sorry if I am intruding, and I’m not sure if any of you will actually see or read this. I’m sorry my feelings weren’t expressed at the time of Rick’s passing. May peace be with all of you.

I am SO GLAD that someone else felt this way about that sorry attempt. Clearly John Lennon was gagging out there in the ether and wishing he had an enormous mute button for the world at that moment. He was up there yelling, “No fools! If not me, let Rufus sing it. But not Tim McGraw…oh lord NO!” I was so pained I almost re-upped my ativan dose and chased it with a whiskey. Instead, I just slammed a door on my hand a few times. That made me feel a little better.